#RPGaDay2025 Day 20 Enter

 There’s a moment that happens in every good fantasy RPG. It might not look like much on paper. A room description. A line of dialogue. A decision so small it barely draws attention at the time.

But something shifts. The torches are lit. The players lean in.

And the question lingers: Do you enter?

That’s the threshold.

To enter is not just to cross into a new place. It’s to leave something behind. Safety. Certainty. Sometimes even identity. And once you've stepped through, the world is never quite the same.

I think about this a lot when I design adventures. Not just dungeons or lairs, but those moments when the world opens up and becomes other. That heavy door groaning open into darkness. The portal that hums with a color you don’t have a name for. The standing stones that seem to lean in closer when you blink. These are not just places, they’re invitations. Rites of passage. The crossing over from the known to the unknown.

In the monomyth, it’s called the first threshold. In Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, it’s the moment when the hero accepts the call to adventure and moves from the mundane into the mythic. But I’ve always felt witches and warlocks experience this differently. For them, it’s not a line they cross once. It’s a cycle. A spiral. The path winds inward, deeper each time. Every doorway leads to another, and each one costs a little more.

Sometimes it's a literal entrance: the black iron gate of a cursed estate, the crumbling stairs beneath a ruined temple. Other times it’s less obvious. Opening a book you were warned not to touch. Answering a voice in your dreams. Saying “yes” to something without understanding what you’ve agreed to.

These moments aren’t about combat or treasure. They’re about change. The world shifts. The story deepens. And the characters, whether they know it or not, are no longer who they were on the other side of that door.

I try to honor that in my games. I give players the moment. I let them feel the weight of the threshold before they step through. I don’t need to say anything dramatic. Just a pause. A look. The air gets a little colder. The fire flickers once. Something remembers their name.

And then they enter.

Because they always do.

Questions

What. Nostalgic. Rule.

What rule am I most nostalgic for?  I miss the days when the thief class had more options for thief skills, beyond just a d20 roll for "Thievery."  While AD&D 1st Ed was great, I like the flexibility granted by AD&D 2nd Ed where you could distribute points into the skills. 

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#RPGaDay2025 Day 12 Path

One of the great metaphors in fantasy gaming is the path.

Every character is on one, whether they know it or not. Sometimes it’s clear from the start: a paladin on the road to righteousness, a rogue fleeing their past, a wizard chasing forgotten lore. Other times, the path isn’t chosen, it’s revealed, one strange step at a time.

For players, the path is often literal. You travel from town to dungeon, from forest to ruin, from the known to the unknown. There are forks in the road, trails in the wilderness, portals that beckon, and thresholds you can’t uncross. It’s all part of the adventure.

But behind that? There’s always something deeper.

The Path is also about identity.

 The journey a character takes from what they were to what they might become. And for the best characters and the best players, it’s not a straight line.

In the real world, we often imagine that our paths are chosen. Career paths. Life paths. But more often than not, they’re shaped by the things we stumble into, the things we say “yes” to, and the things we survive. The same is true in fantasy.

Witches and warlocks, the characters I write about the most often, don’t always choose their path. Sometimes they hear the call in dreams. Sometimes they’re marked by birth. Sometimes they’re just the only ones brave (or foolish) enough to follow a trail that ends in blood and moonlight. But once they’re on it, there’s no going back. The world has changed them. Or maybe the change was already there, and the path is just catching up.

In game terms, the path can be mechanical: levels, powers, subclasses, destinies. But in story terms? It’s mythic.

• The path of atonement.
• The path of vengeance.
• The path of knowledge, or power, or healing, or truth.
• The path that says this is who I am now.

Sometimes you wander off it. Sometimes you make a new one. Sometimes you find out it was never yours to begin with. 

But one thing’s always true: Once the path calls you, you walk it.

Even if you don’t know where it leads.

Questions

When. Enthusiastic. Lesson.

Oh, I have a good lesson I learned and I learned it with enthusiasm.

I have played exactly 1 ninja my entire gaming life.  His name was (horrible I know) Oko-nishi.  My lame attempts at a Japanese-sounding name.  In my defense at what I knew was bad I made him a half-orc.  It must have been around this time I made him using the AD&D 1st Ed Oriental Adventure rules.  

My then DM, Grenda,  and I had worked up a D&D combat simulator (we called it BARD), and we plugged him in with 9 other characters.  He was attacked by a Black Dragon (or Red, I can't recall) and killed. The dragon kept attacking him and only him.  We had not worked out all the errors. In the end, he had been reduced to something like -70 hp.  My DM offered to let him be ok or keep him dead. 

We enjoyed watching it so much and getting the mental image of this stupid dragon jumping up and down on my dead ninja that I felt it was a waste to say it never happened.

https://www.autocratik.com/ • https://www.castingshadowsblog.com/

Fantasy Fridays Review: Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting Revised

We are in the AD&D 2nd ed era for sure now, and today I am planning on finally tackling the boxed set that launched a 1000 campaigns or more. The AD&D 2nd Edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting Revised.  I purchased mine relatively recently to be honest. Well. More recent than 1993. This is the second Forgotten Realms Campaign setting boxed set. The first, of course, was the famous "Gray box" for AD&D 1st Edition.  It was an instant classic, but I think many of my readers will agree that it was AD&D 2nd Edition where the Realms really grew in popularity. Even me, stuck in my lonely little corner of Ravenloft knew how important the Realms was. Forget that, all you had to do was be online in the early 90s when the Internet was still a wild and untamed place to know of the Realms' popularity. 

I will be honest. Of all the Realms products out there, this one feels like the hardest to review properly. But I will carry on. 

Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting Revised

1993. by Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb, and Don Bingle. Art Clyde Caldwell (book covers), Fred Fields (box cover), Interior art by  George Barr, Dennis Beauvais, Tim Conrad, James Crabtree, Eric Hotz, Robin Raab, Uttam, and Valerie Valusek.

NOTE: For this review I am considering both my original* boxed set and the PDFs** from DriveThruRPG.

Ok, there is a note on my note. First, I got my boxed set in a game auction. So I know for a fact there is extra material in my box. I have a second set of maps that look different from the other set. I am not entirely sure which set belongs. This is the problem when buying collections, going to auctions, and inheriting other collections. There is a lot more in this box. SO, I bought the PDFs for this review. I figure I might as well (I didn't have them) AND the PDF version has a different cover. Now I had that boxed set for a bit, but it was beat to all hell. I didn't know which one came first. So I kept the best looking box and best books. Likely, that is why I have extra stuff. 

I learned that the "gold" cover box that had the same art as the 1st Edition set was the first, and the one I have was the second printing/version. Either way, the interior contents are the same.

Except mine that is. Mine is special. ;)

Ok, all that aside, let's jump into this bit of D&D history. The box set has three soft-cover books that I'll take in turn.

A Grand Tour of the Realms

This 128-page softcover book is the player-facing book for this set.

I think the biggest surprise for me was that this is where (at least for me) the Relams absorbed the campaign settings of Kara-Tur (previously part of Greyhawk at least in practice), Maztica, and Zakhara. Now of all these Zakhara was the most interesting to me and I flirted with buying the campaign setting a few times in the early 90s. But I was still an undergrad and there was always another Ravenloft book. Each setting gets a little overview here.

Likewise, the various peoples of the Realms are mentioned. Humans predominate, but dragons, dwaves, elves, goblins, gnomes, and more also get a mention here. The standard D&D species/races are here. Indeed, here is where many learned of these races for the first time in conjunction with AD&D 2nd edition rules. 

Up next, the standard classes are covered here. It's 2nd edition now, so Bards are not relegated to the back of the book. I would argue that is was 2nd Ed Realms where Bards got their proper due. 

Our next large section is all about Faerûn. This is the continent that people think of as synonymous with "the Forgotten Realms." The larger sections of the continent are covered briefly here. This is helpful for me since I never really know what people mean when they say "The North" for example. The map following this is even better. The large poster maps are great, but unwieldly to be honest. 

Some print is given over to the months and years, which I love. In the two Realms campaigns going on here in my house (my "Into the Forgotten Realms" and my oldest kid's "It's Always Sunny in Waterdeep") I have gotten fairly used to thinking of times in Dale Reckoning.  The current year for this set is 1368 DR.

Languages are next. It is really fun to see the Dethek writing here after seeing it the Baldur's Gate 3 video game. 

Up next are more detailed descriptions of various locales. The Dales and the Elven Courts, Cormyr, Sembia, The Moonsea, The Vast, The Dragon Coast, The Western Heartlands (including the Sword Coast), Waterdeep, and beyond (Evermeet, Moonshaes, etc.). Each gets a few pages to discuss important sites and people. There are adventure seeds galore.

There is a lot here, but not a lot of details on any one thing. This is actually good in my mind. It gives me room to work (I know... remarkably naïve on my part), but it did give some ideas for the next adventure I am going to run. 

The back cover has a list of the Forgotten Realms Adventure Backlist with prices up to that point. Still impressive by 1993, to be honest. I know I am missing a lot of these, but my Forgotten Realms buying is limited (on purpose) to what I can find via my local game auctions or Half-Price Books or other used sources.

Running the Realms

This is our DM's book. It's 64 pages and features one of my favorite Clyde Caldwell pieces ever. I have a signed print in my game room. An aside. There is something about the size of the TSR-era 64 page books. Hits my nostalgia for the BX books.

Here we get a good and proper introduction to the Realms. The voices of Jeff Grubb and Ed Greenwood ring out loud here in their respective introductions. And we learn this is the 3rd Age of the Realms. 

We start the book proper with a Campaigns for New Players. I am neither a new player nor unfamiliar with the Realms, but I found this to be a good read with some great advice. Some of this reads very similar to the 1st Edition Gray box. This falls under the "if it's not broke, don't fix it" rule. 

Wild Magic and Dead Magic zones are discussed. I am not sure how much I would have used these back then, but I am going to make an effort to use them more now. 

There is a great timeline from -2637 DR to 1368 DR. I am still in 1357 DR in my games.

After this, some News of Realms covering recent local events follows. It reads like a set of newspaper articles. 

There is a section on the Secret Power Groups. The Harpers, the Cult of the Dragon, and the like. I have learned to use these sparingly. The Cult of the Dragon can be huge and my players would want to hunt it down and take them out for good. And the Harpers can swoop in and steal all the glory. Now other groups like the Red Wizards and Zhentarim are still great to use. Likewise, there is a roster of Select NPCs. The usual suspects are here. Again, this is a season to use sparingly. BUT it is nice to have these here. It is also nice to have a picture and pronunciation guide for some of these names. Because seriously Ed? What the hell?

There is a section on Gods that is good, but will see expanded in the next few years. Gods are ever changing bunch in the realms. The names stay roughly the same, but powers and portfolios can vary. It is always fun to read these starting with Ed's Down to Earth Divinity from Dragon Magazine. 

There is some "player" information here, but I feel the idea here is that DM will parse that out as they feel necessary. 

The back cover has Forgotten Realms novels published to date.

The Fogotten Realms novels are like cheeseburgers. Some are great and really fill you up. Others are the fast food variety; great when that is what you want and often cheap and easy to get. Others are sliders. They seemed like a good idea at the time, but when you are done you are questioning your choices. Now I have not read a lot of these to be fair, and really I should not judge; I read all the Ravenloft novels.

Shadowdale

This 96-page softcover book is part location guide, part base of operations, and part adventure. 

Reading through this now I am reminded of how important the Dalelands used to be in the Forgotten Realms. It was *the* place to adventure back then. Back then I wasn't sure if it was from the novels or that's where Elminster had set up shop. I think now it must have been largely due to this book. I could be wrong, it's hard to judge cultural phenomena (and that is what is was in online D&D discourse) 30+ years later.

But, I am not here to judge this on past or perceived merits of the past. I am looking at the text in front of me. 

This book is broken up into sections detailing the history of Shadowdale and the lands including the farm lands around it (aside: growing up in the Midwest I don't think enough people understand how important farms were/are and how much land they can take up. Thankfully most of the AD&D guys are of the same background as I am.)

We also delve into the Village of Shadowdale, places of interest, and the temples. These include, respectively, Elminster's Tower (which should be a tourist location by now) and the Temple of Mystra.

About half this book is given over to the adventure "Beneath the Twisted Tower." Which was briefly profiled in places of interest. It is an adventure for parties of 1st to 3rd level and set after the Time of Troubles. The tone shifts here and I wonder if this was the contribution of Don Bingle.  To continue my BX D&D association, this would be the Caves of Chaos to Shadowdale's Keep on the Borderlands.

This book has the most "new" information to me. There is a huge underground cave system here with a lot of potential. The best part is that it gives new players a solid taste of what is in the realms. It's like a charcuterie board of Realms favorites, served in easy-to-eat sizes. The areas of Wild and Dead magics are also clearly marked, so that is fun. I gotta remember to use those more when the time is right.

Another Aside: I need to look into how and why Wild and Dead magic began here. Was it a side-effect of the Time of Troubles or did it happen before? I thought it was a side effect, but maybe I am wrong.

The adventure looks fun, but reading it is not playing it. If my party gets to the Dales I might give it a try. The one thing I don't lack is low-level adventures in the Realms. 

The book ends with a comprehensive Index of all three books. It is easy then to see what entries get coverage in which books, sometimes multiple coverage. 

Other Materials

I mentioned before that my boxed set seems to have materials from other sets and I have not identified which is which. 

There are the four large poster maps of Faerûn (I have two different sets), and the clear hex maps to place over them. This was a great idea. While I loved the maps from the D&D Basic and Expert sets, they always looked like they were drawn to fit the hexes. These are maps and the hexes come later. 

There are full color card-stock inserts of various symbols, sigils, and signs from the Realms which is great to show players what they are looking at.

And much to my pleasure AD&D 2nd Ed Monstrous Compendium inserts. My Forgotten Realms MC binder is getting quite full now.

DriveThruRPG PDFs

The PDF/Zip file from DriveThruRPG has all three books plus the Monstrous Compendium pages in one large, 312 pages, file.

The text is sharp and the tables of contents are hyperlinked. The index in not. The images are bit dark, but not so much so that they are hard to make out. I should note that some of the images are also dark in my boxed set, so that could just be how they came out in the color to black-and-white conversions.

I did print out the Monstrous Compendium pages so I could keep the originals in the box set intact and for better alphabetical sorting.

The zip file contains JPGs of all the inserts, including the acetate hex map overlays (why??), front and back of all the cards (which is good, now I don't have to cut up the ones in my boxes), the maps, and the poster that came with it. Wait a minute! My boxed set doesn't have the poster!!

Conclusion

This set is not exactly what I imagined it would be. Well, let me clarify that. This set is not what 1993 me thought it would be. It is actually better.

This box is bigger than the 1st Edition Realms boxed set. Plus the white background and 1990s trade dress make it a lot easier to read than the 1st Edition one. 

Many of the differences in terms of rules come from the shift from AD&D 1 to AD&D 2. For example Barbarians and Cavaliers are gone, Bards, Specialty Wizards and Priests are in. Speaking of which, it was in the Realms where the Priests of specific gods really shone and took full advantage of the new AD&D 2nd rules. When I get to the Faith's & Avatar series I am going to focus on this. Likewise we see in-world application of the Specialty Wizards in the Red Wizards of Thay. Yes, the Known World of Mystara also did this in the 1980s with the Schools of Magic in Glantri, but that was adding on to the rules; this was the existing rules being made manifest in the world. 

Honestly. This is one of the reasons why I associate AD&D 2nd Edition and Realms so closely with each other. The world informed the rules, the rules shaped the world.

Updates on Sinéad in the Realms

In my Realms game I have been using my character Sinéad to help view the Realms as someone learning about the world the same way I was.  One of the other reasons from the delay in getting to this product is that Sinéad and Co. have not yet caught up!

Primed 3D print and Character sheets of Sinéad

Well, for starters, Sinéad is a proper single-class Bard now. It was really 2nd Edition I had in mind for her since Bards were now a regular class. Also, I imagined she was some sort of wild-magic user, which is something I'll also explore.

Her partner in crime, Nida (who is important for some Ravenloft stuff later on) is still with her. These were my two main characters in this and my thoughts were always of 2nd Edition for them. Over the years, Sinéad has gone from a witch to a wild magic user.

What about the others?

Ok, so there some things I need to consider.

First off is Jaromir. He is a barbarian and those don't exist anymore in 2nd Ed. Well, unless I pull out the Complete Fighters Book.  Rhiannon (and I realize I am breaking my own rules here, this is my THIRD Rhiannon.) is a Dragon #114 witch.  While I could convert her to use the Witch kit in Complete Wizards Book. I might hold her off till I cover Spellbound. In fact that is a good idea.  Ok. Rhiannon and Jaromir have returned home to Rashemen. 

Argyle was a Dwarf from Mystara who got trapped here in Faerûn. He is a dwarf with no clan, family or a home. So...maybe he finds some dwarves to live with. I don't know. I am going to assume he is retired now.  I know that Druid and Ranger couple Asabalom and Maryah, eventually come to call a wetlands area their home where they protect it. I was hoping to get some more gaming in with them as NPCs so I could figure out what they were all about. I have an adventure they appear in later on to help the PCs, I just wanted to figure out how they got there. Lastly there was the young elf turned werewolf Arnell Hallowleaf. I know where he is going, but I'm not sure how he'll get there.

So for now, my main NPCs for my "Into the Forgotten Realms" are Sinéad and Nida, that is if the Players can get to the Dalelands for me to use them again. 

To say there is an entire world to explore here is cliché, but it is also the truth. My collection of Realms products is small, comparatively speaking, but it is still larger than I can ever hope to use in my lifetime. 

#RPGaDay2025 Day 7 Journey

"Not all journeys begin on roads. Some start on broomsticks, others in dreams, or through a mirror no one else sees."

 - From the Journal of Larina Nix

A few days back, I talked about the Tavern as the iconic adventuring location, maybe as famous as the dungeon itself. But that’s only one, very early stop on the Journey. Capital J.

When I think of the Journey for characters, I can’t help but go full myth-nerd and drift back to Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces and the whole Hero’s Journey structure. That moment of Departure, when the character leaves the known world behind and enters the realm of magic, danger, and transformation? That’s the real start of the story. Not the tavern. Not the rumors. Not the first goblin in a dark hallway. But that choice, that first real step.

Now, for most D&D-style characters, that might be heading off with sword and/or spellbook, saying goodbye to the family farm, or signing on for a job in a shady city.

But for witches? It’s a little different.

Their journeys often begin in the unknown. It’s not “go out and find magic.” It’s “magic came calling, and now you’re part of it whether you like it or not.” It starts when the moon speaks. When the cat stares too long. When you dream of fire and wake with cinders in your hair. When you start to understand what the crows are saying.

Larina’s journey didn’t begin on a trail or caravan road. It began the moment she heard the voice of the Goddess, when she could see ghosts, and when she stepped behind her grandmother’s mirror and realized she could see her own reflection walking away.

That moment, the crossing of the first threshold, is crucial. And in gaming terms, it’s one of the most rewarding to roleplay, even if most of the time we skip right past it with a background paragraph.

But what if we didn’t?

What if we slowed down and let that Journey take shape in play? What if we saw the moment a young hedge witch received her first vision, or a would-be warlock stood at the edge of the Standing Stones, whispering a name they don’t remember learning?

Journeys matter. Not just because they get you from Level 1 to 20, but because they reveal who your character is, and what they’re willing to become.

And for witches, that journey never truly ends. It just spirals onward, like a sigil carved in bone, leading deeper into the mystery.

For witches I replace the circle of the Monomyth with the Spiral Dance.  

I'll come back to this more. 

Questions

When. Proud. Adventure.

When was my proudest moment in an adventure? So many, really. When my kids discovered the plot concocted by the demons to kill all the gods of the sun to invade the world. When they killed Strahd. When *I* killed Strahd nearly 30 years prior to that. When running Ghosts of Albion Blight and one group REALLY embraced their roles as the Protectors of Ériu. It's why I keep dong this!

https://www.autocratik.com/ • https://www.castingshadowsblog.com/

#RPGaDay2025 Day 6 Motive

Witchcraft Wednesday Edition

In most games, when the party gathers for the first time, there's a fairly straightforward motive: treasure, fame, glory, revenge. Maybe they’re trying to save their village. Maybe they just need to pay off a bar tab. Whatever the case, the classic adventurer is easy to motivate. Dangle gold or justice in front of them, and they’ll go down into the dungeon willingly.

But witches and warlocks?

Their motives tend to be… different.

“She didn’t go into the ruins for gold. She went looking for the name she saw in her dreams.”

 - page, recovered from the bog near Meirath’s Hollow

Witches often aren’t chasing wealth. They might live in crumbling cottages or vine-covered towers filled with tea, bones, and books. They have what they need. Their magic doesn’t come from loot, it comes from knowing. From power earned through pacts, practices, and pain.

When a witch goes on a journey, it’s usually because something has shifted in the world:

• The stars have changed their alignment.
• A long-forgotten spirit has begun to whisper again.
• A charm buried under a tree has broken.
• A name has been spoken that should not have been known.

Their motive isn’t external. It’s internal, symbolic, spiritual. Sometimes it’s not even clear to them at first. But they feel it. A pull. A path. The wind shifts through the birches in a different way, and suddenly she knows it’s time to move.

Warlocks, too, have unique motives, but theirs are often tied to obligation.

 Their power comes at a cost, after all. And sometimes that cost is paid in quests, souls, or favors. Maybe they heard their patron whisper something in their sleep. Maybe they found a rune etched into the frost on their window and knew they had to follow it. Or maybe they have no choice. Maybe the pact has come due.

That’s the thing about occult characters in fantasy RPGs: their motives aren’t lesser or greater than the standard adventurer’s, they’re just deeper. More tangled in the weird threads of fate and prophecy and intuition. Sometimes they’ll ride alongside the party for gold and steel and good company, but eventually, something will pull them off the path. And that’s when the story really begins.

So next time a witch joins your adventuring party, ask her why she’s there.

 If she tells you it’s for gold, she’s lying.

 She already knows something’s coming.

 She just doesn’t want to be the only one standing when it arrives.

Questions

How. Optimistic. Accessory.

Hmm. How does a particular accessory keep you optimistic? 

As I mentioned yesterday, I often take the point of view of the characters. A while back, I got some art done of Larina. I don't remember which one it was, but around her waist she wore chain and it was threaded with dragon teeth. I had asked for a dragon tooth charm, and that is what I got back. I like to trust the artists with their vision, and this was a good choice. In my games from that point, it was a "charm" she wore to provide protection. While mechanically it added to her saving throws, I said it was something that gave her hope. She could collect all these dragon teeth and know she helped defeat those monsters, so whatever challenge was next, she could handle. 

https://www.autocratik.com/ • https://www.castingshadowsblog.com/

Witchcraft Wednesday: Fane-born (Occult D&D)

 Got some game time in my oldest last night. Instead of actual playing we rolled up a bunch of characters we might try out and discussed our various takes on the Forgotten Realms. My campaign, "Into the Forgotten Realms" vs. his "It's Always Sunny in Waterdeep." There are more differences than just tone, we talked about the assumptions underlying my AD&D 1st Ed, "Into" vs his D&D 5th Ed, "Sunny."

We also talked about my ideas for "Occult D&D" a little and how we can use it for either game. 

One of the characters I worked on combined a lot of these ideas. Her name is Tarjä and she is a multi-classed witch/assassin. She is not ready for posting yet, but her species is. Tarjä is a Fane-born Witch.

The Fane-born are an idea I have been playing with, off and on, for a long time. A species similar to humans, but separate. In the DC universe, they might be called Homo magi. They are a race deeply immersed in magic. 

Fane-born

Also known as: Changelings, Hag-born, Witch-kin, Hollow-Eyed

“There are children born under broken moons, with too-wide eyes and whispers in their sleep. We call them changelings. But they call themselves Fane-born, and they remember things we were never meant to know.”

- From the Journal of Larina Nix

The Fane-born are a mysterious and eerie race of humanoids born from the tangled roots of old magic, faerie mischief, and witchcraft. Some are said to be the offspring of witches and dark spirits; others are left in mortal homes as changelings or molded from magic in long-forgotten rituals. Their presence unsettles the common folk, and they are often driven away or feared as portents of ill fortune.

Yet among witches, they are honored, or at least tolerated, as strange siblings in the arcane bloodline. They possess a natural affinity for the occult, a strong spiritual presence, and an uncanny ability to see beyond the veils of the world.

Game Statistics (AD&D 1st Edition)

Level Limits

• Witch: Unlimited
• Warlock: Unlimited
• Thief: Unlimited
• Magic-User: Based on Intelligence
• Int 13 = Level 9
• Int 14 = Level 10
• Int 15 = Level 11
• Illusionist: Based on Intelligence
• Int 14 = Level 8
• Int 15 = Level 9
• Int 16 = Level 10
• Fighter: 6
• Druid: Based on Wisdom
• Wis 12 = Level 8
• Wis 13 = Level 9
• Wis 14 = Level 10
• Wis 15 = Level 11
• Wis 16 = Level 12
• Wis 17 = Level 13
• Wis 18 = Level 14

 (Cannot be Clerics, Paladins, Rangers, or Monks)

Ability Adjustments: +1 Wisdom, +1 Charisma, -1 Constitution

 Minimum Scores: Wis 13, Cha 13

 Maximum Constitution: 17

 Alignment Tendencies: Neutral, Chaotic Neutral, or Chaotic Good

 Height/Weight: 5’2" to 5’10", 90–140 lbs.

 Age Ranges: Same as human.

Racial Abilities

Innate Spellcasting: Choose one at character creation: Detect Magic, Read Magic, or Charm Person 1/day

Uncanny Presence: +2 bonus on saving throws vs. charm, fear, or possession

Occult Intuition: Can attempt to identify magical items on a roll of 1–2 on 1d6 after 10 minutes of focused examination

Ghost Sight: Can perceive into the Ethereal Plane or overlapping Faerie realms. Allows them to see invisible or ethereal creatures to 60'.

 Languages: Gains Faerie/Sylvan/Elvish as a free language. 

Cultural Notes

Origins: Some are born to mortal witches under eclipses; others are swapped at birth by fae creatures or raised by covens. Others still can be born to human parents exposed to powerful witchcraft. 

Society: Rarely form settlements of their own. Most travel between witch circles, shrines, and isolated steads.

Appearance: Unnerving beauty or eerie awkwardness; heterochromia, white hair at birth, overly long fingers, or no reflection. Some have small horns (can be hidden with hair styles), oddly proportioned limbs, or other odd appearances that can't quite be quantified at first, but lead to an unsettled feeling. 

Reputation: Seen as cursed, unholy, or dangerous. Even when doing good, their motives are questioned.

They have a bonus to Charisma and Wisdom to reflect their personal willpower and personality, but they are treated as having a Charisma score of 2 less (-2) for the purposes of reaction roles among humans and hiring human retainers.

--

Might tweak this some more as we play. Going to also convert them to 5e for my son's game. 

Monstrous Mondays: Ghost Lights (Happy Birthday Mom!)

 It's Monstrous Monday again, but more importantly, it is my mom's birthday. Long-time readers will know that my mom was always very supportive of my D&D years, and she was the one who introduced me to horror.  She watched Dark Shadows and told us all the most blood-curdling stories when we were little kids. 

Here is one she loved, and based on some old Appalachian folklore. She told us stories of these things coming into homes and "dancing" around.

Ghost Light
Phantom of the Hills

Frequency: Very Rare
No. Appearing: 1–3
Armor Class: 4
Move: 12", Fly (24")
Hit Dice: 5+5
% in Lair: 5%
Treasure Type: D (found only at rest sites)
No. of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attack: 3d6 electrical
Special Attacks: Shockburst, Confusion Aura
Special Defenses: +1 or better weapon to hit; immune to lightning, fire, charm, sleep, and hold
Magic Resistance: 20%
Intelligence: Low to Average (6–9)
Alignment: Neutral
Size: S (2'–3' diameter sphere of light)
Psionic Ability: Nil
Level/XP Value: V/500 + 6/hp

Description: The Ghost Light is a mysterious, hovering ball of luminous energy, found in remote hills, haunted valleys, and fog-choked hollows. Tales of them span the misty ridges of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Ozarks, and deep forests across the continent. Known by many names, hill lanterns, haint-lights, the watching eyes, they are most common where tragedy, battle, or disappearance has occurred.

A ghost light is softly radiant, its color ranging from blue-white to yellow or even reddish hues. It flickers and pulses with life-like motion, trailing across the air just above the ground, often seen at night but sometimes glimpsed at twilight or during storms. Locals say they are the souls of the lost, trapped between worlds, or elemental forces given wandering thought.

Combat: Though not malevolent by nature, ghost lights are territorial. If followed, disturbed, or attacked, they defend themselves with bursts of raw electrical force. Their touch lashes out in a 30-foot range and causes 3d6 damage (save vs. spells for half).

Once per day, a ghost light may unleash a Shockburst, a radiant electrical discharge in a 10' radius, dealing 5d6 damage (save vs. breath weapon for half). It uses this ability only if severely injured (below 50% hit points) or to escape.

Confusion Aura: Anyone within 30 feet of an active ghost light must save vs. spells or suffer mild confusion (as the confusion spell, but only for 1d4 rounds). Victims may wander off, become dazed, or follow the light against their will. This effect is subtle and described as a “pulling” or “beckoning” sensation.

Ghost lights feed on ambient magical energy, emotional residue, and lingering trauma. They are most active in areas associated with strong sorrow, betrayal, or storm-related deaths. Some say they are formed when a person dies alone in wild country and no proper rites are spoken.

They are neither wholly spirits nor elementals nor 1sae but a strange fusion of all, anomalous phenomena that exhibit traces of intelligence. A ghost light may guide, warn, or even protect travelers if approached with respect. On rare nights, multiple lights dance together like fireflies in some ancient, unknowable rite.

Legends

Old folk claim that if you follow a ghost light, it may lead you to:

• the grave of someone forgotten
• a lost treasure or hidden glen
• your own doom, if your heart is false

Some witches, wise women, and druids seek them out to divine omens or bottle their essence in storm glass lanterns. Others fear them utterly.

--

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Fantasy Fridays: Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia

 While my Fantasy Fridays are overtly about featuring fantasy RPGs other than Dungeons & Dragons, I feel a pretty solid case can be made for this as a different game. The truth is that the 1991 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia is worthy of more love and attention. Well, at least more love and attention by me.

June, after all, has traditionally been my month to celebrate all things Basic-era D&D, and this is a perfect choice. 

Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991)

Edited by Aaron Allston and based on the work of Frank Mentzer, Dave Arneson, and Gary Gygax.

There’s something magical about the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia. It’s not just a book, it’s a time capsule. Released in 1991, this single volume condensed the sprawling BECM,  Basic/Expert/Companion/Master (excluding Immortals, which I'll address later) sets into one massive, 300+ page tome. When the standard was established and continues to be three-volume sets for AD&D/D&D, the Rules Cyclopedia broke the mold, providing everything in one book.

I have already gone on record stating that I didn't pick this up at the time, despite my initial interest in it. I was heavy into AD&D, and as a broke college student, and my drinking spending money was limited. 

One Book to Rule Them All

Sort of. The Rules Cyclopedia was certainly an ambitious project. Take the well-loved BECMI pentalogy and try to rearrange it into a cohesive whole. By this point, we had already had the Original D&D game, which was reorganized into the Holmes Basic game, which was in turn re-edited into the B/X Moldvay/Cook/Marsh books, and then finally those gave rise to the Mentzer BECMI. There was a lot of play and a lot of history here to try to gather together.  The DNA of all of those works is still visible here.

If you are familiar with Basic D&D in its many forms (Basic, B/X, BECMI) you have four basic human classes: Cleric, Fighter, Magic-user, and Thief, and the three demi-human races (races was still used here, so let's stick with that) Dwarf, Elf, and Halfling. Human classes go to an impressive 36 levels. Demi-humans have level limits, but still have ways to improve with experience. There are a LOT of things characters can do in these 36 levels, too. Neutral Clerics can become Druids, Lawful Fighters can become Paladins, and there is more. Magic-users at 36th level get 81 total spell levels. There is a lot more like this. There is also a Mystic class, sorta like the D&D Monk. 

I also still feel that BECMI and the RC have some of the best high-level play advice in D&D. In truth, there is a lot of great "D&D" advice here that is great for any D&D edition, but obviously the best translation is to AD&D 1st ed. Some of this advice does exist in different wording in the DMG. But without all the High Gygaxian. And better organized. 

The trick here is, of course, not how the rules are the same, but how they are different. A great example is how dragons are handled. There are small, large, and huge sizes for starters. Something we would not see in AD&D until 2nd edition. Plus all sorts of Gemstone dragons which include the rulers of Dragons, Diamond, Pearl, and Opal. (An aside. What if the Dragons were divided like this: Pearl = Chaotic, Opal = Neutral, Diamond =Lawful, Bahamut = Good, Tiamat = Evil?)

Lots of fun monsters here and despite the lack of art (or maybe because of) there is a lot of intersting entries. The entry on Monster spellcasters is uniquely BECMI/RC and something I wish I had adapted more back in my AD&D games. 

The D&D planes are covered, similar to the AD&D planes. But only the inner planes are covered. 

Some of the best bits are cover the D&D Game World, Mystara, and the Known World. Here we see a departure from BECMI, where the game world was called Urt and was a living world. The map from the Expert Set is back for the Known World, which we learn on later maps is just a small section of the world. AND the Known World is Hollow, which was a revelation to me when I first read it. I rather love it. 

Appendix 2 covers conversions to and from AD&D, which is rather fun. 

The character sheets are rather plain, to be honest. 

Immortals

I call this one out specifically, because it is one of the main differences between the Basic and Advanced games. In the D&D Rules Cyclopedia, Immortals are discussed, but specific Immortals are rarely mentioned.  Ka, Odin, and Atzanteotl, are mentioned by name and have appeared in other BECMI products over the years.  The conversion notes for D&D to AD&D 2nd Ed in the Cyclopedia gives us this little tidbit:

The Immortals of the D&D system and the deities of the AD&D system should not be converted between the game systems.

They were really set on the whole Immortals ≠ Gods thing. But this works for me since it is possible and even desirable for characters to become immortals. 

The most interesting parts cover the PCs' acquisition of immortality. We would see this again in D&D 4e, though in a different form, the idea is the same. 

Summary

I have not covered this book in detail and certainly not in the detail that it deserves. This is a masterpiece really. 

Larina Nix for D&D Rules Cyclopedia

Larina got her start as a witch in Glantri (the Country) and wanted to move to Glantri City to attend the city's magic school. Of course, this was before I picked up the Glantri Gazetteer. Who knows what I would have done with her had I bought that Gazetteer back then? 

For this I am going to use my "The Witch." While not exactly for the Rule Cyclopedia nor BECMI, but for "Basic-era games" going to level 36. It does work for this and honestly the book was created largely based on Larina as my major play-test character.

"Larina" by Jeff Dee

Larina Nix
36th Level Witch, Classical Tradition
Human Female

Strength: 10 (+0)
Intelligence: 18 (+3)
Wisdom: 18 (+3)
Dexterity: 12 (+0)
Constitution: 12 (+0)
Charisma: 18 (+3) * (+15% XP)

Death Ray or Poison: 2
Magic Wands: 2
Paralysis or Turn to Stone: 2
Dragon Breath: 2
Rod, Staff, or Spell: 2

THAC0: 6
Movement: 120 (40)

Occult Powers
1st level: Familiar ("Cotton Ball" Flying Cat)
Herb Use
7th level: Temporary Magic
13th level: Permanent Magic
19th level: Witch's Blessing
25th level: Ability Bonus
31st level: Timeless Body

Spells
Cantrips: Black Flame, Chill, Dancing Lights, Inflict Minor Wounds, Object Reading, Quick Sleeping
First Level: Bewitch I, Black Fire, Burning Hands, Charm Person, Endure Elements, Fey Sight,  Glamour, Read Languages, Concentration (Ritual)
Second Level: Alter Self, Candle of the Wise, Enhance Familiar, Ghost Touch, Hold Person, Produce Flame, Scare, Suggestion, Calling the Quarters (Ritual)
Third Level: Bestow Curse, Bewitch III, Clairvoyance, Danse Macabre, Dispel Magic, Fly, Scry, Tongues, Imbue Witch Ball (Ritual)
Fourth Level: Analyze Magic, Arcane Eye, Divination, Ethereal Projection, Intangible Cloak of Shadows, Mirror Talk, Phantom Lacerations, Spiritual Dagger, Drawing the Moon (Ritual)
Fifth Level: Bewitch V, Blade Dance, Death Curse, Dream, Endless Sleep, Eternal Charm Person, Hold Person, Primal Scream, Telekinesis
Sixth Level: Anti-magic Shell, Death Blade, Eye Bite, Find the Path, Greater Scry, Mass Agony, Mirror Walk, True Seeing, Legend Lore (Ritual)
Seventh Level: Ball of Sunshine, Breath of the Goddess, Death Aura, Etherealness, Greater Arcane Eye, Insanity, Wave of Mutilation, Widdershins Dance, Vision (Ritual)
Eighth Level: Astral Projection, Bewitch VIII, Damming Stare, Discern Location, Mystic Barrier, Prophesy, Wail of the Banshee, Descent of the Goddess (Ritual), Protection of the Goddess (Ritual)

Immortal Sphere: Energy

This is a good build. This is Larina right before her ascension to Immortality. If I review Wrath of the Immortals, then that is where I will go next.

Who Should Play This Game?

Honestly, anyone who has ever played AD&D or played any version of D&D after this should give this a try. The rules are different enough to be a new experience and familiar enough to make it easy to get into. The Race-as-Class will feel odd to most other veterans of D&D, but it is such an important piece of D&D history that everyone should try out. 

The newer Print on Demand version is reasonably priced and easier to read than the previous versions, but it makes for a great choice for people who do not want to pay eBay prices for it. 

Links

The Known World

Print on Demand Review

Witchcraft Wednesdays: The Archwitch

Photo by Ferdinand Studio

 Working on a new project. It should be pretty obvious, but I will wait for the full announcement. Among some of the features of this new project is the notion of "Advanced Classes." You have already seen these kinds of classes before. They are the Bard (PHB), Thief-Acrobat, the Archdruid (UA), and the Wizards of High Sorcery from the Dragonlance Adventures book. 

Mine, however, are all occult-based. I have already been play-testing a couple of them, some for a while, but today's is brand new. Based quite honestly on a dream I had Monday night/Tuesday morning. Though, the idea of the class has been running around my head for many years now.

Presently, I have four of these Advanced Classes worked out. Three for Witches and one for Magic-users.  I am toying around with about three-four others for other Advanced-era Classes/Sub-classes. 

ARCHWITCH

Advanced Class for Witches

The Archwitch is the culmination of a witch's arcane and spiritual mastery. Unlike common witches who deepen their craft through occult rites, the Archwitch transcends the circle, walking the border between witchcraft and wizardry. She gains insight into the deepest mysteries of magic and the cosmos, weaving both witch spells and high arcana into her grimoire. Figures such as Iggwilv, The Simbul, and Sagarassi exemplify this path. While many label them as mere magic-users, their roots lie firmly in the traditions of the witch.

Only those witches who have proven themselves through trial, wisdom, and power may take on the mantle of the Archwitch. This path is rare, and most witches never reach such heights.

Requirements

To become an Archwitch, a character must:

• Be a Witch of at least 7th level.
• Have an Intelligence of 17 or higher.
• Complete a Great Working, an act of magical significance witnessed by their Patron or coven. Examples include banishing a demon lord, opening or sealing a planar gate, the construction of a powerful magic item or new spell or ritual, or binding a major spirit.
• Be acknowledged as an Archwitch by their Patron or a gathering of at least three witches of 7th level or higher.

Restrictions

The character ceases to gain new Occult Powers granted to witches at levels 7, 13, and 19. These are replaced by Archwitch abilities.

Spellcasting

The Archwitch retains her full Witch spellcasting progression.

In addition, starting at Archwitch level 7, the Archwitch may select one Magic-User spell per spell level, beginning with 5th level magic-user spells and advancing with her own level. These are treated as bonus spells known, castable once per day each, and are cast using her own spells cast per day.

At level 11, the Archwitch gains the ability to cast one 9th-level Magic-User spell per day, chosen from a written copy in her Book of Shadows or from a scroll. This simulates her mastery of the highest arcane knowledge.

Note: There will be spell advancement tables for magic-user spells 1 through 9.

Archwitch Abilities

Mastery of the Veil (gained at level 7): Once per day, the Archwitch may combine two spells of 4th level or lower into a single casting. The casting time is doubled and both material components must be used. The effects occur simultaneously but must be directed at the same target or area.

Arcane Communion (gained at level 9): Once per week, the Archwitch may enter a trance to commune directly with her Patron or a cosmic force, gaining insight similar to the Commune spell. Additionally, she becomes immune to confusion and feeblemind effects.

Unbound by Circles (gained at level 11): The Archwitch may cast a 9th-level Magic-User spell once per day, provided she has access to the spell in a written form. This spell does not count against her daily limit of learned Magic-User spells. This ability reflects her transcendence of mortal limitations and entry into the ranks of true arcane legends.

Role and Influence

The Archwitch is no longer bound to any single coven, though she may lead one. Her word carries power in the witching world. She is often sought for advice, feared by enemies, and respected by peers. Her Patron may grant visions or quests of great import. In some traditions, the appearance of an Archwitch heralds the turning of an age.

Only a handful of witches per century achieve this status. Their names are remembered in spellbooks and whispered in ritual.

Experience Progression and Saving Throws

The Archwitch continues to use the Witch's experience table, attack matrix, and saving throws.

Multi-Class and Dual-Class Use

The Archwitch path is only open to single-classed Witches. Dual-classed characters must complete all level requirements before entry. Elves and other multi-classed races may not become Archwitches unless the campaign permits exceptions.

Optional Rule – Ritual Ascension: At the DM's discretion, the transition to Archwitch may require an in-game ritual, quest, or magical confrontation. This may include astral travel, defeating a rival Archwitch, or recovering a lost grimoire.

Fantasy Fridays: The Dark Eye

I am concluding Walpurgis Week with the perfect game for both Walpurgis Week and Fantasy Fridays, Germany's own The Dark Eye.

I have known about this game for a while, both The Dark Eye and the original German Das Schwarze Auge. I always wanted to own the original German, having taken German in both high school and college, but not using a language for, well, longer than I care to admit, you lose it. Das tut mir leid.

The Dark Eye always attracted me as a sort of darker fantasy RPG.  A game where Mirkwood is replaced by the Black Forest.  

I picked the 2nd Printing of the English edition at my local game auction.  I grabbed the core rules and a bunch of add-ons that I suspect came from Kickstarter. There is a lot, and it all looks so good. There is even a basic QuickStart.

The Dark Eye - Core Rules

Hardcover & PDF. 414 pages. Full-color cover and interior art (and all of it is gorgeous).

For the purposes of this review, I am considering both my hardcover version and the PDF from DriveThruRPG.

There is so much about this book and game that I love. Before I go into my deep dive I want to say that this game is wonderfully crunchy; this is not a rules-light game. BUT, and I can't stress this enough, it works so well here.  This easily could have come across as an artifact of the mid-80s with some early 2000s notions added on, but it doesn't. It actually all holds together rather well. I can well imagine that this is what D&D would have been like if instead of the wilds of Wisconsin it grew up in the wilds of Germany.  In both cases, the beer and brats would have been good. The adventuring world, Aventuria (and I will be discussing that more), is a dark place but the characters seem lighter for it. It is a nice antidote for the "Grimdark" worlds where the characters are equally grim. 

Chapter 1: Introduction 

This chapter gives us the basics of the game including what an RPGs are. We also get some background on the adventuring land of Aventuria including the lands of Middenrealm and surrounding lands. There is a nice map too. We get a brief on all the gods and demigods and even the five major dragons of the world. 

Chapter 2: Basic Rules

Covers what it says, basic rules. The game mostly uses d6s and d20s. There are eight attributes; Courage (Cou), Sagacity (Sag), Intuition (Int), Charisma (Cha), Dexterity (Dex), Agility (Agl), Constitution (Con), and Strength (Con). Remember I said it was wonderfully crunchy. Attribute checks are rolled on a 1d20, rolling under their score. Pretty easy. There are modifiers to these rolls, as expected. A roll of "1" is a success, and "20" is a botch.  If a modifier ever brings an attribute below "1" then it can't be attempted. This chapter also covers the basics of Skill checks and combat. 

There are also various Conditions, like confusion, pain, paralysis and so on that also modify various rolls and even combat and movement. 

I think this great to have all of this up front since it helps with the Character Creation section next.

Chapter 3: Hero Creation

This chapter details character creation. There are 15 steps outlined. Sounds like a lot, but character creation is quite detailed. It is a 4-page character sheet after all. There are many human cultures that provide some roleplaying differences and some mechanical ones. Additionally, there are Elven and Dwarven cultures too. By Step 5 we are getting to allocating points to our Attributes. Going pretty fast so far. This is a point-buy system and like many modern RPGs you can set caps on attributes and the total number of points.  You can choose a Profession (detailed in Chapter 6), as well as choosing Advantages and Disadvantages. You can then modify abilities, calculate combat techniques, choose any special abilities, calculate your derived characteristics, buy equipment, choose your starting age and name. 

There are some sample characters given and some details of how they were made. With all these cultures, professions, advantages, and disadvantages you can make a wide variety of characters. 

I created one for a Character Creation Challenge. The process was long but really fun. I was reminded of both factors while working on Larina below.

Make no mistake here. Character creation takes a long time. There is a lot going on here. While there are no classes, even with the aid of professions character creation will take up a good part of Session 0. 

Chapter 4: Races

This gets into detail on the races available to us. In addition to the Humans, Elves, and Dwarves we have met there are also Half-Elves (who use elf or human culture). They seem to conform to pretty much what you would expect them to. The attraction of this game though is again, the deep lore and connection to the setting. These are not Tolkien elves and dwarves, nor are they Forgotten Realms, Skyrim, or Pathfinder ones. They are, on the surface, familiar and also very much their own thing.

Chapter 5: Cultures

Cultures are the more important aspect of your character's background. So there is more on culture than on race. The cultures are highly detailed and have some Earth analogues, but not exact copies which is nice. There is a good overview on Wikipedia.

Chapter 6: Professions

These are the "not classes" of The Dark Eye. And there are a lot of them here. They are divided into three types: Mundane, Magical, and Blessed.

Mundanes include Bard, Courtier, Gladiator, Guard, Healer, Hunter, Knight, Mercenary, Merchant, Performer, Rogue, Sailor, Spy, Tribal Warrior, and Warrior. 

Magical professions are: Spellweaver, Wyldrunner, Cat Witch, Raven Witch, Toad Witch (three witches!), Black Mage, Gray Mage, Guildless Mage, and White Mage.

Blessed professions are your cleric and religious types. They are: Blessed One of Boron, Blessed One of Hesinde, Blessed One of Peraine, Blessed One of Phex, Blessed One of Praios, and Blessed One of Rondra. Or, the various gods of the land, but not all of them.

Chapter 7: Advantages and Disadvantages

This covers the same lists found in character creation, but much more detail.

I am a huge fan of Advantages and Disadvantages. We used them all the time in Unisystem and became a great mechanic. I would love to see them ported over to D&D in someway.  But I guess modern D&D has feats, so there is that. These are great here and hit all the ones I expect to see.

Chapter 8: Skills and Chapter 9: Combat

Both chapters deal with how to run skills, non-combat, and combat, respectively.  Chapter 8, like Chapter 7, provides more detail than what was presented in Character Creation, Chapter 3.

Chapter 10: Magic

My favorite part of any fantasy RPG is Magic. This one is no exception. In the Dark Eye we have two basic methods of controlling arcane power, Spellcasting and Rituals. 

Now various spell-casting checks rely on different combinations of attributes, so no one mage is going to be great at everything unless all their attribute are high. Point-buy mostly assures this won't happen. Magic is a highly detailed affair, as to be expected. So one magic-using class is certainly not like the other. 

There are rules for traditions, artifacts, illusions. Just tons of details here. It is certainly one of the most robust magic systems I have seen in a while. Even elves have a complete different set of magics. 

And of course, there are spell listings. 

Chapter 11: Works of the Gods

This is similar to the Magic chapter, but for the Blessed Ones.  The magic here has different mechanics as to be expected really. While the "Spells" are largely similar format (for ease of reading) they feel very different.

Chapter 12: Detailed Rules

Covers all sorts of other rules. Healing, disease, poisons, heat and cold, and gaining experience. Also how Arcane Energy and Karma are replenished. 

Chapter 13: Bestiary

My next favorite chapter after Magic is usually this one, and it's great. We get all sorts of demons, elementals, animals, and familiars listed here. There is obviously room for much more. The monsters are built like characters, so they have similar stat blocks.

Chapter 14: Equipment

All the gear your characters will need.

Chapter 15: Game Tips

Both tips for the Players and the GMs. Kudos to them showing apples as the game snack.

Appendix

This includes a checklist for optional rules (with page numbers), common abbreviations, and tables.

There is just SO MUCH with this game.

I am overjoyed AND overwhelmed with all the options.  I can easily see why this game is so popular here and in Germany.  It is a game I would love to do more with. There is just so much material to be had, both to buy and for free. There is even a Community Content section for fan-produced works.

I could spend another year with it and still be finding something new. My only regret is not having anyone I can play this one with.  Well. I suppose I will mine it for ideas.

Larina Nix for the Dark Eye

A fantasy RPG with a dedicated witch class? Of course, I am going to try to build Larina here. I am opting to go with an older and more powerful version of her here with the Legendary experience level. It gives me a good idea of what progression is like in this game. 

Larina Nix
Female Human Middenrealmer Cat Witch

COU 14
SGC 15
INT 16
CHA 18
DEX 10
AGI 12
CON 13
STR 9

Life Points 34
Arcane Energy 45
Karma -
Spirit 2
Toughness 1
Dodge 6
Initiative 13+1d6

Fate Points 3
Social Standing 2 (Free)

Experience Level: Legendary (2,100 AP)

Advantages
Spellcaster, Good Looks (II), Increased Arcane Energy (VII), Increased Life Points (III), Socially Adaptable, Rich (VI)

Disadvantages
Bad Habit (Bites Nails), Annoyed by Minor Spirits, Afraid of Fire (I), Negative Trait (Obsessed with Magic)

Special Abilities
Tradition (Witch), Language & Literacy, Flying Balm, Connection to Familiar, Forbidden Portals

Languages
Cyclopean, Alaani, Alaani Script, Middenrealmer (native)

Skills
Physical: Body Control 4, Climbing 4, Dancing 12, Flying 12, Perception 12, Singing 14, Stealth
Social: Disguise 3, Empathy 12, Etiquette 5, Fast-Talk 4, Intimidate 6, Seduction 14
Nature: Animal Lore 6, Plant Lore 12, Survival 4
Knowledge: Astronomy 15, Magical Lore 20, Math 14, Myths & Legends 12, Religions 12
Craft: Alchemy 12, Artistic Ability 12, Clothworking 1, Metalworking 1, Music 12, Prepare Food 6, Treat Disease 6, Treat Soul 6, Treat Wounds 6, Woodworking 1

Not Larina, but really close. p 345

Combat Techniques
Brawling 7, Daggers 7 (melee) 6 (ranged)

Familiar
"Wattebausch" (Cat)
SA: First Among Equals

Spells
Cat Eyes 6
Harmless Shape 5
Fighting Stick 4
Odem 4
Gaze into the Mind 6
Satvarian's Splendor 5
Witch's Bile 4
Witch's Claws 4
Analyze Arcane 6
Corpofesso 4
Motoricus 4
Transversalis 6

Rituals
Call Djinn

Cantrips
Lucky Fingers
Rainbow Eyes

Age: 37
Birthday: Travia 25
Social Status: Free
Hair: Red
Eyes: Blue
Height: 5'4"

I like this version quite a lot. For role-playing ideas, I based this one largely on the version of her I ran over last summer in Blue Rose. 

Character creation is best done with the people you are going to game with. Not because the characters are mechanically tied to each other, but rather it is all too easy to make a character that is great at one thing and terrible at all others. Larina here is a great magic character and a very good (maybe even great) social character. When it comes to combat, though, she is rather terrible. She is going to have to rely on her charms to get through. But that is fine really, The Dark Eye is not a combat-focused game. Oh, you can, no doubt, but there is so much more here. 

I spent about 500 AP on skills alone and about that on Spells and Rituals. I have a handful left, but I rounded down to keep my math in check. I didn't buy any equipment or weapons other than a dagger and a broom. 

Who Should Play This Game?

This game may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it is perfect for some groups. 

For me, I love it. The game is amazing, really, and it looks great. Production-wise, it can go toe-to-toe with D&D 5e. It is deep, gorgeous, and there is history here. I am so disappointed that more people don't play it, and I am more disappointed that *I* don't get to play it more.

So, who should play this game? Everyone. Everyone should try this game. Under the caveat that you should try it with a Game Master who knows the game well and can help speed you along some of the crunchier bits.

Could this Game Replace D&D?

That depends. It has everything to play the same sorts of games that people playing D&D want. In fact while going through it all I can't help but think that Strixhaven would fare better under the rules for The Dark Eye. I have also already taken the adventure Witch's Dance and ported it over to D&D/OSR. While power levels are different, with characters in The Dark Eye scaled down from their D&D counterparts.

In it's home country of Germany, Das Schwarze Auge has already replaced D&D for many and is the "generic" for Fantasy RPGs, much like saying D&D is here. 

The setting is deep and rich. The art is gorgeous. The customization options for characters is outstanding. The only thing holding it back is how crunchy it is. Figuring out skills was like dealing with AD&D 1st Ed proficiency bonuses. Yes, it got a lot easier as you went on. Same with spells. But that initial learning curve will be more than many will want to do. 

In any case, it is still an excellent game. I wish it got more love here in the States.

Links

• Ulisses Spiele
• The Dark Eye (English)
• Das Schwarze Auge (German)
• DriveThruRPG site
• My Links
• Review: The Dark Eye
• Review: The Dark Eye - Witch's Dance (100 Days of Halloween)
• Character Creation Challenge: The Dark Eye
• Wikipedia
• Wiki Aventurica